24 Aug 2015

The Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture (MYSC), Thapelo Olopeng was taught the techniques of sprinters when he finished fourth in a race that took place at the National Stadium on Saturday August 22.

The race was part of the national fitness programme which was launched at the stadium. Position one went to Botswana National Olympic Committee chief executive officer, Tuelo Serufho while Zico Koontse finished on position two.

The MYSC deputy permanent secretary, Kago Ramokate finished on position three, followed by Minister Olopeng, while position five went to MYSC permanent secretary, Ntabeni Malikongwa, Botswana National Sport Commission chairperson, Solly Reikeletseng finished last.

Before the race and other fitness activity, Minister Olopeng told his audience that most people live sedentary lifestyles given that they no longer do household chores such as gardening, manual work or walking to the shops.

This, he said, has resulted in increased incidences of poor health with more people becoming obese, adding that health experts have advised that non-communicable diseases such as diabetics, hypertension and cardiac complications were avoidable through regular exercise or sport programmes.

In that regard, he urged all Batswana to engage in physical recreation activities and join social sport clubs, community fitness clubs, train as families or friends and engage in physical activities at home.

He said it was also important that employers and organisations encourage their staff to take part in recreation activities.

“Staff must be encouraged to form work based sport clubs, play inter-institutional games and be subsidised for gym membership. The government has started this by introducing inter-ministerial games and gym rooms in the work place,” he said.

Furthermore, he said his ministry believes that the national fitness programme would re-ignite and sustain passion for developing the nation through sport, as this would also help the nation to be fit.

He said a healthy and fit nation would reduce the financial burden on the national health bill.

The minister said he would establish the “Minister’s Morning Walk Club” and that the walks would be held the second Friday of every month across all districts.

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, Shenez El-Halabi said little was known about other emerging epidemics that were looming in low and middle income countries such as Botswana.

She said the epidemic of life style diseases, known as non- communicable disease(NCD) include diabetes, hypertension, obesity, lung diseases, cancer and mental illness.

El-Halabi said the diseases were known to cause more deaths in the world than HIV, TB and Malaria combined, adding that NCD’s kill about 38 million people globally every year. ENDS